A Head for a Head
by The Knight of Thirteen
Summary: "For what we want most, there's a price must be payed in the end." - Tia Dalma No summary for this one, sorry. Shizuo, Celty, Shinra, and Izaya are the only characters. Genres : Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Horror, Romance


_**A few notes to my readers: First of all, i hate yaoi fan girls. I'm sorry, but it is just a fact of life. If there is actually some vague hint of romance between two male characters, by all means, jump all over it. But it would be nice to search for Durarara stories about Shizuo and Izaya that aren't the deranged product of some yaoi fangirl's mind. **_

_**Now, i think Celty and Shinra are absolutely wonderful together, but i really want a fic about my two favorites together. Probably a little hypocritical, since i think that is what most yaoi fangirls do, but you know, at least Shizuo and Celty are friends, and they both have a large amount of respect for each other. It is not beyond the realm of possibility, that were Shinra absent, these two could come together.**_

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She was nearly dancing with excitement.

It had been twenty years. Twenty years of relentless searching, and she finally got it. And it felt so... perfect. The added weight made her feel more balanced. More complete. She giggled as she raced along the streets, taking everything in.

The world was so much more beautiful now that she could see it the way it was meant to be seen. She blinked, relishing the feeling. She breathed deep the many smells that wafted through the town. She didn't need to breath, but it felt so good to be able to, she hadn't stopped for hours.

She heard the roar of the engine and the whinnying of her steed as she flew along the roads of her home. She loved the way things sounded now that she had ears to hear with. She had been without these senses for so long, she had forgotten what they were really like.

It had been painful, yes. But she didn't regret it one bit. She hadn't even bothered finding out where it had been hiding all these years. All that mattered was that she had it back where it belonged now, and that she wanted to show Shinra as soon as possible.

Celty slowed down and took a corner gently, enjoying the little curl of wind that moved the hair on the back of her neck. The light ahead was red so she began decelerating just in time to see her best friend walking along the sidewalk, his usual scowl firmly in place.

He saw her at the same moment, and his face brightened as he waved to her. She grinned behind her visor. Shinra could wait a few more minutes. She pulled over to the side of the road and pulled out her PDA. She tapped out a few words.

[Hey Shizuo, how are you?]

He gave her a half smile. "I'm doing pretty well, Rider. A bit bored. Apparently my name is enough to get most of the jobs done now days, so I don't get called out to do any actual work much lately. I don't mind so much. I hate violence. But it is boring. How are you?"

Celty tapped more and held up the screen for her friend.

[Amazing! I have something to show you, but you can't tell Shinra I showed you first, alright?]

Shizuo grinned at her. "I promise. But I don't like being asked to hide things from my friends. I hope it is something good!"

[Oh it's good.]

"Well lets see it then!"

Celty nodded and reached up, flipping her visor open. Shizuo's jaw dropped. "So what do you think?" Celty giggled as soon as she spoke. The vibration in her throat still tingled every time she spoke.

"Celty! You found it! Congratulations!" Shizuo leaned against a lamp post and the smile on his face reached his eyes. That was a rare sight, even for Celty. It made her grin all the more.

"Thanks Shizuo! I want to keep it a secret for a while though. I'm not much of a headless rider if I have a head, now am I?" She listened to him chuckle and thought how beautiful his voice sounded with actual ears.

"So what does it feel like, being one of us normal folk?" Shizuo asked when he stopped laughing.

Celty flipped her visor down and summoned her shadow scythe. "Do I look normal to you?"

"You look fantastic, that's for sure. You were gorgeous before, but I never would have imagined your head could match the standard the rest of you set." Shizuo said it as casually as if he were telling her the time of day, and she was thankful her visor was down now and he couldn't see her first blush ever.

"Thanks Shizuo, that is really sweet. I hope Shinra feels the same way." Celty wasn't able to hide the small amount of worry in her voice.

"What do you mean? I know he is a bit weird, but he's not an idiot." Shizuo was so certain and reassuring, Celty found it hard to even worry about it any more.

"How do you always know just what to say to make me feel better?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Rider." Shizuo took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Within seconds, Celty was doubled over, coughing violently. Shizuo threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out immediately, then put a hand on her back. "Celty I'm sorry! I didn't know it would effect you like that!"

Celty tried to wave it off as nothing but came up panting. "It's just because I've never breathed around you before... I'll get used to it eventually." She leaned against her bike to catch her breath. "I don't even need to breath, but I've gotten so used to it already..."

"Don't worry. That's the last cigarette for me. I've been meaning to quit for a wile. I just never had a good reason to before." Shizuo reached into his pocket, fished out the last of his pack, and tossed them in a garbage can. Celty stared at him in shock.

"Shizuo, you don't have to quit because I had a coughing fit!" She had knew the man was impulsive, and although he had a short temper, he had a will power that few could match. If he decided he was quitting, then he'd quit.

"Sure I do. I enjoy talking to you a hell of a lot more than I like cigarettes." So that was that. Celty smiled and flipped up her visor.

"You know, if I weren't saving my first kiss for Shinra, I'd have to take my helmet off right now." Now it was Shizuo's turn to blush.

"Shinra better appreciate the honor or I'll have to knock him into next week." Celty giggled.

"I might take you up on that if he gives me any crap about it!" They both laughed. Celty looked at her watch. "It's getting late. I should get home and surprise him before he starts worrying about me." The two parted with a wave and a smile.

Shizuo watched her go. Shinra was a very lucky man. And he thought, maybe he was pretty lucky too, to be able to call her his friend.

She pulled up in front of the building, trying to keep her anticipation under control. She fished the key out of her pocket and unlocked the garage, carefully putting her bike in it's favorite spot before locking the door and proceeding to the front door.

She turned the key and noticed that the door was already unlocked. That was odd. Shinra always kept the door locked. She pushed the door open and let out a strangled cry of despair.

The room was splattered, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, with blood. It was smeared across every surface, and dripping from the lights and tables. The sofa had deep gauges in it and there were strips of flesh strewn across the room.

Celty dropped to her knees, sobbing. Her body heaved, but she had nothing but acid in her stomach. Her screams and heaves and sobs must have carried to the street. A few blocks away, Shizuo looked up with an uneasy feeling. He didn't believe people most of the time, when they talked about a "gut feeling", but he couldn't help himself. He began sprinting toward Celty's apartment.

By the time he arrived, Celty had dragged herself into the hall and closed the door. She was leaning against the wood, still sobbing, with her knees and hands stained red when Shizuo got there.

"Oh my God, Celty, what happened?! Are you okay?!" He dropped to his knees beside her and began searching her for injuries before she took his hands and then wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Shizuo... Oh God... There is so much blood..." She coughed and pushed him away, afraid she would vomit stomach acid down his back, but he held her closer.

"Celty... Where is Shinra?" She looked at him as if her whole world had burned to the ground. He held her until she stopped sobbing and then gently leaned her against the wall. He stood and opened the door. It was like stepping into a horror movie. Like walking into the worst nightmare he'd ever had, and then a hundred times worse.

He looked around and tried to keep an objective mind and a level head. He told himself he could lose it when he found whoever was responsible. The first thing he noticed was that there was a video recorder on the table. He walked over to it and looked it over. It was water proof, and the blood had not damaged it.

He found a cable and attached the device to the large flat screen in the room and hit the play button. An fuzzy image appeared. It was a person in a white lab coat, obviously Shinra. Then he heard that voice.

"Izaya..." Shizuo clenched his fists and tried to keep his mind clear. He listened to the conversation on the screen.

"Hello Shinra. Do you mind if I record this conversation? I'm attempting to catalog the most important people in the city for future generations, and it would be most helpful." His voice was cool and relaxed as always. Shinra spoke.

"Yes of course! I'm honored! Oh you will have to speak to Celty when she gets home! It should be any minute now!" The recorder was then set on the table and adjusted so that the doctor came into focus.

"Celty is next on my list, don't worry. Now. Are you familiar with the Code of Hammurabi?"

"Yes, of course. That was the set of laws once used by the Babylonians that stated that punishments should fit the crimes. An eye for an eye, literally."

"Exactly! What is your opinion of that system?" Shinra was giving his inquisitor a confused look, but continued to answer.

"I'm sort of torn. On one hand, it would greatly discourage crime, but on the other, it doesn't leave much room for mercy nor negotiation. Any sort of mistrial would be something horrendous and uncorrectable."

"Very true on both counts. So, on the matter of your roommate. Celty. You two are officially engaged now, aren't you?" Shinra's face split into a grin at the mention of his love.

"Well not officially. Not really. It's complicated. _She's_ complicated. But I have proposed and she said she loved me and would consider it, but I haven't gotten a definite yes yet."

"But you are sure she will say yes? She does love you after all. She cares about you as much as herself. You're basically one person. I bet there are things lying around this apartment that neither of you remember who owns it, am I right?" Shinra was content to continue talking about how close he and Celty were.

"Well we've lived together for over twenty years. There isn't much "mine and hers" anymore. It's all ours."

"Does that apply to your debts as well? If she owed someone something and you could pay it for her, would you?"

"Of course! I get steadier income than she does, and she knows I am always there to help her when she needs it."

The camera shifted slightly, as if the table had been bumped and Shinra's eyes moved upward and slowly followed his guest around the table. Then Izaya came into view. He waved at the camera with a smug smirk on his face before striking Shinra hard in the temple, knocking him cold. Izaya dragged the body out of the chair and took the seat before addressing the camera.

"Hello Celty. You have something of mine. A head. Now the thing is, I no longer need it for my experiments. So, as far as i'm concerned, any old head will do. And since you two seem to share everything, I don't think either of you should mind if I settle our debt with him. A head for a head, after all."

Izaya's grin turned Shizuo's blood cold. The man on the screen took his knife from his pocket and grabbed the doctor by the hair, dragging him onto the sofa. Shizuo turned off the tape just before the blade made contact. He was shaking with rage and nausea as he turned. There was Celty, leaning in the doorway, her face wet with tears.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll take care of him. Don't worry." Shizuo stepped away from her and then began a purposeful walk across town. The arrogant monster would most likely have gone right back to his own office.

Izaya was in a wonderful mood. To be honest, he had gotten bored of Celty's face. He tossed the head in his hand up and caught it, then picked the glasses up from the desk and perched them on the nose.

"Well that was fun, wasn't it? I've never cut someone's head off with a knife before, but now I'll know how if I ever need to do it again, won't I?" The lifeless face stared back. Izaya had stapled the eyelids open, because he wanted to feel like he was carrying on a real conversation.

It would seem apparent to anyone watching, that the young man had gone off the deep end. He laughed casually at whatever reply he imagine getting from the head and carried on his nonsensical conversation.

He heard the knock at his door and dropped the head on his desk as he rushed over to open it. Just as he touched the handle, the door was knocked off it's hinges and Izaya was rolled back across the room to his desk.

Shizuo walked in and picked the door up, snapping it in half long ways to give himself a better weapon. Izaya looked thrilled to see him. "Shizuo! What a surprise! I was just wondering if you were busy. I have this marvelous new head, much better company than the last one. I wanted to introduce you."

Shizuo grimaced in disgust and slammed the door down on his enemy. Izaya rolled out of the way and was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Hold still you maggot!" The door collided with the wall, just as Izaya danced out of reach. He pulled his knife and put three cuts in Shizuo's vest.

"What sort of way is that to talk to an old friend? We went to high school together!" Izaya's insanity was not helping Shizuo's concentration or his anger. He fainted toward the figure and then changed course just as Izaya moved.

He struck the man square in the chest with the large board and sent him flying through the window and out onto the street, winded. Shizuo stepped out the window after him. Izaya managed to get to his feet and move before a killing blow landed on him.

He was still laughing. He looked around and dodged another swing, dancing past Shizuo and scooping Shinra's severed head from the ground. "I thought you'd run away! You need to stay in my office silly! Shizuo and I are just having a private discussion!" He skipped easily out of the way of another attack.

Then something happened and for once in his life, Izaya was caught by surprise. Celty's shadow scythe passed through his right leg, and his body crumpled to the ground. He winced, but the twisted grin never faltered from his face. Not until he reached for his knife and found it missing.

He looked up to see Shizuo holding his favorite knife. The man grinned down at his most hated enemy and tossed the blade back into the building through the wrecked glass. He reached down and picked Izaya up by his neck with both hands.

The anger in Shizuo's eyes was nothing compared to the absolute terror in Izaya's. Some spark of sanity must have still remained inside his deranged mind, because he began to struggle in earnest. He's finally been bested. It was impossible. He was a god. He was unstoppable.

"A head for a head, you maggot." Shizuo squeezed, and Celty gasped and looked away just as Izaya's head was ripped from his shoulder's by the man's incredible strength.

A few hours later, Celty was sleeping fitfully on Shizuo's bed, while he was lying awake on his couch.

He had gone back to Shinra's apartment and scraped up ever scrap of flesh he could find, along with the head, and placed them in a wooden coffin. He carried the box through the city with Celty by his side, and payed for the cremation himself.

Celty kept the ashes in a jar and decided she would take them to Ireland to disperse them. Shizuo agreed to go with her, and even said he would stay by her side for as long as she would have him.

Izaya, it appeared, had been experimenting with some sort of medication of his own making that had destroyed his already questionable grasp on sanity. His body was thrown into the nearest body of water. It was quite a throw.

Over the next few months, Celty and Shizuo flew to Ireland to put Shinra to rest, and stayed for a few weeks, exploring Celty's homeland. They finally returned to Ikebukuro and soon after announced their engagement.

What she had thought was the best day of her life, ended up becoming the worst, and what she thought would be an agonizing and lonely life without Shinra became a happy life with a man that no one but she could ever love.

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_**I'm very sorry to all Shinra fans:( But there was absolutely no way Celty would ever choose anyone over him if he were still an option, and i don't like the stories who get him out of the picture by making him turn away from Celty. To the yaoi fangirls who saw Shizuo touch Izaya and still believe that they're madly in love... just go away. Pack your things, and move to NOT HERE. Sorry about the constant ranting, but really, it erks me to no end. Thank you for reading, and please review!**_


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